May 3 is just around the corner – which in means free comic books. The first Saturday of the month means it is time for a wide-ranging series of free comic giveaways, both to bolster the art form and to continue a sense of community.
“I love seeing all the faces, new and old. We’ve got excited kids at their first Free Comic Book Day, and people that come every year. The hustle and bustle of the day is also my jam,” Curtis Sullivan, co-owner of Vault of Midnight, said.
Most of the comics are usually one offs for the day. This year’s lineup has no fewer than 46 options:
- Archie’s Comics Spectacular
- Power Rangers / VR Troopers
- Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures / Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Thundercats / Powerpuff Girls #0
- I Hate Fairyland
- Speed Racer #0
- Fantastic Four / X-Men #1
- Spider-Man / Ultimate Universe #1
- Disney’s Phineas and Ferb
- Seuss FCBD Exclusive
- Energon Universe FCBD 2025 Special
- Conan the Barbarian
- Minecraft: The Manga / Beyblade X
- Valiant Universe
- BOOM! Studios 20th Anniversary Special
- Critical Role / Black Hammer
- Gargoyles: Demona #0
- Lost Marvels
- Bad Kitty Gets a Job
- Godzilla: The New Heroes
- IDW Dark: Find Your New Fear
- Keenspot Toybox FCBD 2025 Special
- Mark Spears Monsters #0
- Tower Dungeon & Issak
- The Phantom #0
- Iron Man & His Awesome Friends / Spidey & His Amazing Friends
- Ironheart / Marvel’s Voices #1
- Star Wars #1
- Princess Gwenevere & King Arthur Crossover
- Will Eisner: A Comics Biography
- EC Comics Presents Blood Type #0
- Flash Gordon & The Girl from Infinity Adventures
- Herobear and the Kid
- Creaky Acres: A Graphic Novel
- Best of 2000 AD
- Red 5 Comics Young Adult Adventures
- Hulk Teach
- Transformers: Worst Bot Ever
- Champion
- Black Mirror #1
- Diablo
- Stitch! Best Food Forever
- Mega Man #0
- Street Fighter vs. Rival Schools #1
- Def Leppard’s Hysteria #0
- Kagurabachi / Boruto: Two Blue Vortex
“Each year, we aim to deliver a memorable Free Comic Book Day experience for fans everywhere,” Free Comic Book Day spokesperson Ashton Greenwood said when they announced their lineup last November. “We know comic book retailers are looking forward to treating their communities to a fun-filled day celebrating comic books, and we think this year’s title selection truly captures that spirit! There’s something for every kind of fan, from long-time readers to the comic book curious.”
Vault of Midnight is a Michigan-specific comic book company, which embodies and almost entirely unrealistically good comic book and manga shopping experience. The company consistently threads the needle of organic inclusiveness, unparalleled quality, cleanliness, a mastery of the classics, an effortless familiarity with cutting edge graphic novels, manga, and board games; a convenient one stop shop for hard-to-find pieces; and the sort of intimacy you can only get with a truly small business.
And now they are participating in giving away comics for free again. Free Comic Book Day started as a way to promote the Sam Ramey Spiderman films at the beginning of the century, starting Tobey Maguire. It has since gathered momentum of its own and kept going – going from a Marvel-specific hype building machine into a celebration of the medium in general.
“Everything is neatly laid out with staff directing people to the giant wall of free comic books. We’re staffed up to the max and everyone is a pro at directing traffic and keeping things moving smoothly,” said Sullivan.
Ann Arbor is their primary location. But if you can’t make it there, they have a second location in New Center, Detroit – 2857 East Grand Boulevard – and in Grand Rapids.
RELATED: Vault of Midnight to Host Free Comic Book Day
VoM is also a community specific central gathering space for lovers of superheroes, monsters, the uber cute and the super hardcore, and just nice people. VoM’s most common problem is that it is frequently difficult to navigate their 219 South Main Street store because it is too crowded – so full of like-minded, artsy and art loving people who can be just as at home looking for the latest Superman graphic novel or old classic Dragonball manga or just for something new and different from small publishers like Image, Oni Press, IDW Publishing, Kaboom! or Dark Horse.
That is a good thing though. In an age where America is suffering the repercussions of an often-talked about loneliness epidemic. Gallup found last October that 20% of American adults reported feeling lonely on a daily basis. That is down from the 25% reported during the heights of the pandemic, but it is still high enough the that the United States Surgeon General declared it an epidemic in 2023.
VoM is a Michigan-specific cure for that loneliness. As long as you are open minded and friendly, it is a place where you can strike up a conversation with a potential new friend, who just happens to also be interested in My Hero Academia, Toad and Frog, Mob Psycho, or in the same run of The Avengers as you.
“Community is the beating heart of comic book fandom! The good energy is palpable at this event and folks are juiced to hang out, dress up and chop it up with other comic book lovers. We also host food trucks, artists, local vendors, charity organizations and more,” Sullivan said, although the Detroit and Ann Arbor locations will have different offerings on hand.
This is going to be quadruply the case when the doors open on at 11 a.m. People will be allowed to come through until 5 p.m. They will then be directed past what Sullivan calls a “great wall for free comic books, located in the center of the main floor.”
Lines are expected to start forming at 10 a.m. While there is a large selection, free comics are capped at five per person.
You can also take advantage of VoM stickers and t-shirts. Hyperion Coffee is also going to be collaborating with the event. Located less than a block away in Ann Arbor – they will be doing a “coffee collabo” according to VoM.
“We’re delighted to collaborate with Vault of Midnight for this special event,” Devon Clausen, the wholesale accounts manager at the Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor based Hyperion Coffee Company, told Current in an emailed statement. “To celebrate, we’ll be offering $1 off drink coupons that are good to use at either of our cafes; as well as custom blended retail coffee bags that feature the Lonely Spaceman himself on their label. It is a wonderful opportunity to introduce more people to our coffee while supporting a creative and beloved local business. We’re truly thankful for the chance to be involved and can’t wait to be part of such a fun day.”
Drew Saunders is a freelance business and environmental journalist who grew up just outside of Ann Arbor. He covers local business developments, embraces his foodie side with reviews restaurants, obsesses over Michigan's environmental state, loves movies, and feels spoiled by the music he gets to review for Ann Arbor!
